TaB Energy: acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), sucralose (Splenda) Currently waiting to hear back about the exact amounts of these sweeteners in Tab Energy

For over 30 years TaB, along with all other products containing saccharin, had to have the following warning on the label:

“Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.”

Saccharin is the oldest low calorie sweetener. It was discovered by accident in 1879 at Johns Hopkins, and has been used as an artificial sweetener ever since. It was first used in many products during World War I when sugar became scarce.

In 1960, studies on saccharin suggested that it caused bladder cancer in rats, and the FDA moved to limit its use. Though Canada banned saccharin outright in 1977, the US Congress placed a moratorium on the ban to allow for more research on saccharin’s safety. This moratorium has been extended seven times due to continued consumer demand. Over the past 30 years, numerous studies have clearly shown that saccharin does not cause cancer in humans, and the original studies were flawed.

In December 2000, after years of review, the original saccharin studies were found to be flawed, the ban was lifted and the warning was removed.

Saccharin vs Aspartame (Nutra-Sweet)

Advantages of Saccharin: Easy to make, stable when heated up, approximately 300 times sweeter than sugar.

Advantages of Aspartame/Nutra-Sweet: Also relatively easy to make, does not have the saccharin/cancer “stigma”, 200 times sweeter than sugar. However, aspartame has a shelf life of about 6 months, after which it breaks down into its constituent components and looses its sweetness abilities. Also, aspartame breaks down in temperatures above 85F.

The original TaB, which did not contain aspartame/Nutra-Sweet, had a much longer shelf life than TaB today.
Many TaB drinkers will drink Diet Coke out of a soda fountain, but not out of a can. This is because fountain Diet Coke contains saccharin (which has a longer shelf-life). Of course, it is still no substitute for TaB.